The Amazing Race: Paper Mario: Season One
by Koopa on a Street Corner
Summary: 11 teams of two race around the world for one million coins. Inspired by j-cag's fics, and by an intense love for both the show and the game series. I don't own The Amazing Race or Nintendo or anything to do with them.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**

_**Oh, no, an Amazing Race fic! Paper Mario, to boot. The characters span the first two games. The locations will be everywhere though, so I'm pretty excited for that. I'll update when I can, and try to keep the chapters reasonable in length. Huge props to j-cag for inspiring this. I'm writing Paper Mario characters because I have played those two games so much, I almost personally know these guys. It's a K+ fic. Have at me, fools! Apart from this chapter, each leg will be one chapter btw.**_

The camera clicked on suddenly, panning swiftly across and down a bustling street in broad daylight. Cars drive through, honking loudly at one another as they race past buildings, and smaller, more natural areas. The accompanying music is almost as buoyant as its surroundings that are shown, with loud trumpets and brass synthesizers pulsing in rhythm. The camera panned through a tunnel and panned swiftly over to a tall bridge across a river. The view panned up the bridge girders and arches, to the very top on one side, where a solitary Toad is standing. The camera then zoomed in on the ordinary-looking Toad, who began to speak.

"This is Mushroom City. It is a bustling metropolis, where thousands of citizens choose to make their living. While not the largest city in the Mushroom Kingdom, it is right up there, just like I am right now. And this loud city is the starting line of a race around the world, for one million coins."

The camera panned off of the Toad, and down below the bridge, into the river. Twelve speedboats can be seen making their way towards a docking area, which has been blocked off to regular traffic. The Toad's voice interjected over the scene, "The eleven teams are,"

**(****)**

"Bow and Bootler. A rich young playgirl, and her fretful mentor, from Forever Forest."

The scene showed two Boos disembarking the first boat to land; the more elderly of the two floating out to help the other one out. The younger, clearly a female, wore a red bow on her head, and had a light-blue colored windbreaker on. The older, a male with a handlebar mustache, wore a heavier red jacket with green stripes.

_"This race is a chance for me to prove to silly old Bootler that I can take care of myself! Sweet old guy, always worrying about me," Bow teased, elbowing her blushing partner. _

_"This race is, in my mind, something that may very well help young Bow to mature. Needless to say, I accompanied her to keep her safe," Bootler said primly, as Bow looked on with an expression of embarrassment._

Bow and Bootler are shown playing cards; winning the round, Bow laughed as Bootler frowned. Bootler shuffled the deck, and dealt a new hand of cards to the two.

_"If we win, I think it'll be awesome! But I know I'm here to see the world, and prove myself to Bootsie," Bow giggled._

Bootler gallantly carried a parasol to cover Bow from a light drizzle as they walked around her mansion. She proceeded to pick up a rock, which she tossed at her gardener. A frowning Bootler shook his head.

_"Yes… I seek maturity for the Lady on this race," Bootler said._

**(****)**

"K.P Koopa and Shellshock. Professional fighters and friends, from Glitzville."

The scene cut over to a pair of Koopas hopping out of their vessel. Both were wearing sunglasses; one had a lavender shell and shoes, while the other wore yellow instead. Both had matching black hoodies with the words 'Fight Never Stops' written in red across the front. The one in purple had no hair—but his partner had a bright yellow mowhawk on top of his head.

_"Dawg, this race is gonna be a freaking rollercoaster for me and 'Shock over here," K.P, the yellow-garbed Koopa said confidently, running his fingers through his hair._

_"We've got a total advantage, baby. We're in top shape, physically and mentally. We never give up, man," Shellshock voiced._

The two are shown in a gym, with K.P spotting Shellshock as he lifts a weighted bar. After Shellshock finished with his reps, he turned and gave the camera a thumbs-up.

_"I've been at the pit for years now, and I'm good, but I don't make much, dawg," K.P complained. "This race will give me some precious dough when we cross 'da finish line in first place!"_

Shellshock is shown kicking an opposing Hammer Bro in the face, and on a split-screen, K.P is shown shell-spinning into a row of Goombas and knocking them out. Both raise their hands to the sky in victory.

_"We got what it takes, man." Shellshock said eagerly. "We're gonna win this, baby! Started from the bottom, and we're going straight up!" _

**(****)**

"Kooper and Kolorado. An archeologist and his young assistant, from Koopa Village."

The new scene showed a Koopa with a blue shell and a red bandanna climbing out of his boat, falling into the sand in his haste. He wore a black tee shirt and nothing else. His partner, an older Koopa with a small mustache, leaped straight out and also fell in the sand. He had an odd-shaped white hat, to go with his sandy-green shell, hiking boots, and tan khakis and shirt. Laughing, they both brushed the sand off of their bodies.

"_We're kind of immature, and we know it. But the prof's got such a quick mind on him, that I'm sure we'll do well!" Kooper exuberantly claimed._

_"Heh, well, as my young chap has spoken, I believe we'll do fine and dandy on this here race! Winning the money would be excellent, tally-ho!"_

The two are shown digging in a patch of sand, when Kolorado leaps out of the pit, holding an artifact. The two high-five, and Kolorado places the artifact safely inside a container.

_"I'm so totally psyched! Although as an archeologist, I've seen tons of places before, I have no doubt I'll see new ones on the race," Kooper said eagerly._

The two are shown in a library, scouring the shelves for history books. Both grab at the same book at the same time.

_"I have no doubt in my mind, we will be crossing the finish line in first, wot!" Kolorado exclaimed._

**(****)**

"Screamy and Hayzee. Actor and theatre manager, from Rogueport."

The footage showed a pale, cream-ish colored blob, with crescent-shaped pink eyes slowly climbing out of their boat. An exuberant green-colored Crayzee Dayzee hopped out after him. Neither were wearing anything apart from their shoes.

_"…Sometimes, I need a break from acting. I always play dramatic roles." Screamy said tonelessly._

_"Sheesh, man, lighten up! I am Hayzee! And I believe that this race will be an adventure unlike any other!" Hayzee said dramatically._

The two are shown walking through Rogueport, hanging up flyers for one of their plays. Hayzee skips around the town, while Screamy shuffles slowly behind him.

_"If we win… perhaps I can retire to peace," Screamy intoned._

_"Agh… He better get excited, 'cause we rock, man!" Hayzee claimed excitedly._

More footage of them is shown, this time of Screamy acting, and Hayzee raptly watching from the audience. The play ends, and the audience begins to clap and cheer.

_"Race foes, here we come!' Hayzee threatened lightly._

**(****)**

"Stewart and Conductor. Blimp and train attendants, from Glitzville and Rogueport."

The scene showed a Cheep-Cheep wearing a green tie and a light blue shirt bouncing out of the boat, and a red-spotted Toad, wearing a black leather jacket and black slacks climbing out.

_"Well, we both met at a union meeting for attendants. _ _We hit it off, and now whenever we're both in town, we go and get drinks, and have fun together," Stewart said, a bit nervously._

_"I think that we both understand that we have a massive advantage on this race—we both know how to travel fast, and we've both been a lot of places. We'll be able to keep way ahead of other teams," Conductor confidently predicted._

The scene showed the two of them stamping tickets on their respective forms of transportation, and then taking off their work clothes and collapsing in exhaustion.

_"We're used to long, frustrating days, so we should be able to… um... keep ahead, I think," Stewart said._

The footage showed them both relaxing on the streets of Glitzville, eating hotdogs. Conductor gives Stewart a poke, and Stewart sprays him with a stream of water.

_"We'll stay on this race until Phil calls our name… not that he ever will," Conductor said with a grin and a shrug._

**(****)**

"Russ T and Tayce T. Dating scholar and chef, from Toad Town."

The scene shows a blue-spotted Toad, sporting glasses and a heavy blue coat slowly hauling himself out of the boat, and a slightly older-looking Toad with orange spots leaping out in joy. She was dressed in an orange and yellow windbreaker, and black athletic pants.

_"Well, my lovely partner and I met at a ball hosted at Peach's castle… and from the moment I saw her, my heart was swallowed by those gorgeous eyes. She was, and is, the only thing that can take me away from my studies," Russ said proudly, as Tayce blushed._

_"Oh, he's such a sweetheart. But he doesn't really know what an adventure is like! He needs to get out once and a while, and that's why we're on the race._

The two are shown in a kitchen, where Tayce is cooking, and Russ is reading a recipe to her out of a book. She turns and playfully cracks and egg over his head, and he gives her a disapproving look.

_"I intend fully to use my vast library of knowledge to help us on our quest to win the prize, and I won't hold back any of my mind," Russ stated stuffily._

The two are shown strolling through the Castle Garden, hand in hand, watching leaves fall off of trees.

"_I'm so excited! Russy-doodles, let's win this race!" Tayce exclaimed._

**(****)**

"Cortez and Flavio. Treasure hunters, if you will, and business partners from Keehaul Key and Roguport."

The scene shows a portly Beanish man, dressed in a fine coat of red and purple, hoisting himself out of the boat, where he promptly falls flat on his face in the sand. In the land of the Mushroom, physics can be changed. As such, Cortez, the once terrible and mighty pirate king, has been reduced to the size of a mortal. The walking pile of bones resembled a Dry Bones slightly, and wore nothing but a pirate's cap upon his skull.

_"Flavio! The terror of the seas! The one who holds the key, it is Flavio!-"- the arrogant man's song was cut off abruptly by a sharp poke in the side from Cortez._

_"Aye, amigo, I worry about him. We are here because we want more treasure. At least he does, I myself want to roam the world as I did in my glory days again!" Cortez exclaimed, with a chastened Flavio rubbing his side._

The scene showed the two of them standing on the deck of a boat, yelling orders to their crew, on the open seas.

_"Flavio is not to be content with just transporting people, Flavio wants to go around the world and win lots of coins!" Flavio exclaimed with joy._

The two are shown sifting through unending piles of gold coins and precious gems and treasures.

_"What skills do we have… amigo I don't know. But I am a king, and kings win. OooooOooooohh!" Cortez hauntingly whispered._

**(****)**

"Rip Cheato and Chet Rippo. Two complete and utter scoundrels and frauds, who alternate residence between towns."

The camera showed a strange, purple-ish blue bird creature flopping out of the boat. He was out of shape, and ugly. A small nametag he wore on his purple jacket said 'Chet Rippo'. He was followed presently by his partner, who was an odd looking, fat man, with a scruffy brown beard, and an antenna sticking out of his head. He was dressed in drab brown and tan khakis.

_"Hehe… Okay, so we're both complete and awful thugs. I'm a cheater. My name says so! I rip people off. But I aim to win this race, so I can quit cheating people. It gets tiresome," Rip said with a laugh, motioning his hands for emphasis._

_"I don't consider myself that bad a guy. Just a fraud, I guess," Chet said hesitantly. "I'd like to be more honest… maybe this race will help with that."_

The two are shown getting run out of Toad Town by angry civilians, and jumping into a warp pipe. The civilians are screaming unintelligible gibberish.

_"Hehe… So I'm gonna win the race, and get rich! Nothing wrong with that," Rip smirked._

The two are shown huddling in a dark alley, trading tricks of their 'trade'.

_"Well… I'm excited, I guess," Chet muttered._

**(****)**

"Moustafa and Mr. E. Shop owner/secret society head, and desert drifter from Dry Dry Outpost."

As their boat landed, a green Squeek was seen leaping from it. He was merely wearing a turban and his mask. He was followed by a Toad, who was also wearing a turban. The Toad's turban and robes were blue, while the Squeek's were white.

_"Aha! I am Moustafa. I am competing in this race with one of my subordinates simply because I tire of running our town," the jovial mouse claimed._

_"Hi. I'm Mr. E. I guess I'm running this race because Moustafa wants me to. But I'd also like to see the world," the turbaned Toad said._

The two are shown running across rooftops in Dry Dry Outpost, with Moustafa well in the lead, Mr. E hustling to catch up behind him.

_"I'm a leader for a reason. I will win this race, and further my legacy amongst my town members!" Moustafa exclaimed pompously._

The two were shown in a closed-door meeting inside in old house, with other turbaned individuals.

_"He's a crafty guy, and I'm good at following directions. I think we could win," Mr. E said with some nervousness._

_"Not think: will!" his partner corrected with a smack of his tail._

**(****)**

"Larson and Peeka. Dating Boo and Bandit, from Rogueport."

A Bandit, dressed in blue robes with a gold chain dangling down his neck jumped out of the boat. He was followed by a dainty Boo, who had cat-ears propped upon her head, and was wearing a pink mink jacket.

_"Listen, buddy. Life's hard. I'm a thief; but if we win this race, I don't have to steal anymore. And let me tell you, stealing is dangerous!" Larson exclaimed, his mask remaining in its grinning position._

_"Hon, Larson is a doll. I really think we could make something good together, we just need to work together like we have been!" Peeka giggled._

The two are shown bowling in an alley, using bottles as pins, and an old cannonball as a ball. They both laughed as Peeka rolled a strike.

_"Dang man… I think Peeka's the best. If we can survive this race, nothing will stop us," the Bandit predicted happily._

The two are shown rolling the slots at Pianta Parlor; and both groaned as they won nothing for the third straight time.

_"Life has its ups and downs—and let me tell you, sugar, Larson is my up!" Peeka proudly proclaimed._

**(****)**

"Lee and Chan. Dojo students, and best friends, from Toad Town."

A blue Duplighost leapt into the air, and gracefully dived out of the boat. He had on black sunglasses as well. Following him was a green-shelled Buzzy Beetle, who wore a red belt around his shell.

_"As students at the finest dojo in the world, we've trained ourselves beyond what many can even imagine," Lee said simply with a shrug._

_"Yeah! Like, we're pretty darn tough, man! People don't mess with us!" Chan exclaimed. Lee rolled his eyes._

The two are shown sparring with one another, Lee turning into a copy of Chan, and both shell-spinning into one another.

_"If we don't win, the Master will be ashamed of us. Therefore, we must win," Lee said arrogantly, while keeping a slight grin on his face._

The footage showed the two getting berated by the Master for some small offense, and rolling their eyes at each other.

_"Don't mess with us, we're freaking crazy, and awesome! We'll kick your butt!" Chan crowed._

_"Yeah, sure, what he said," Lee agreed with a grin._

**(****)**

The camera zoomed out, to show a panorama of the entire city, and then zoomed back in, onto a green hill overlooking the beach where the teams had landed, and the speeding highway. There was a parking lot with eleven cars in it, as well as twenty two bags lying in front of that lot. On the knoll below the hill stood the eleven teams. Facing them was the Toad from the first show.

"Hello, teams, and welcome to the Amazing Race!" the Toad yelled above the whistling wind, a huge grin on his face. The eleven teams cheered back at him some applauding loudly, before he continued.

"In a few moments, you will embark upon a literal race around the world! You'll be doing things you've only read about, and seeing things that will barely even seem real to you!" The teams all looked at him with interest, as he espoused this statement.

"Woah…. Neat man…. I can't believe it… yeah!"

"My name is Phil T., in case you were curious. The race is divided into twelve sections, titled 'legs'. At the end of each leg, there is a pit stop. The last team to check in at the pit stop… may be eliminated. There are eight elimination points, and if you are last on that leg, you will be eliminated from the race." The teams nodded, a little more serious now.

"The first team to cross the finish line on the final leg will win one million coins!" Phil exclaimed, and all the teams cheered loudly. He turned around, and looked at the parking lot behind him. About two hundred yards of grass and concrete stood in between him and the bags.

"I think everyone is clear on the rules now. Any further instructions will be explained by the form of a clue. The first clue is on top of your bag, waiting in that lot. When I give the signal, you can race over to grab your bags, and your clue, and begin the race!" The teams cheered again, heartened by this statement.

Phil looked at all of the contestants. "Good luck," he said. The contestants nodded, some saying 'thank-you' to him. As if he hadn't heard, he continued, raising his arm in the process, "Travel safe." Some of the sharper teams knew what was coming, and were prepared, as he raised one eyebrow, looked at the teams again, and swiftly lowered his arm. "**GO**!" he shouted! The Amazing Race was on.


	2. Chapter 2: Leg One

**_Author's note: Leg one is here! Enjoy._**

As Phil's arm went down, the teams began to race forward, jostling with one another. Two teams, clearly in the best shape of the whole pack, outdistanced the others and arrived at their bags first, and ripped their clues open.

**Shellshock and K.P: Currently in 1****st**** place.**

**Lee and Chan: Currently in 2****nd**** place.**

"Drive yourselves to Toad Town airport-"

"-and fly to Vanilla Lake! Once in Vanilla Lake, make your way to the lake itself to find your next clue! Whoo! Let's go, baby!" Shellshock yelled, as his partner and he grabbed their bags, and put them into one of the cars.

"-make your way to the lake itself to find your next clue—come on, Lee!" Chan said hurriedly, as they grabbed their bags, Lee ditching his sunglasses into his bag. As they were leaving the clues, other teams raced in behind them.

**Moustafa and Mr. E: Currently in 3****rd**** place.**

**Kooper and Kolorado: Currently in 4****th**** place.**

**Larson and Peeka: Currently in 5****th**** place.**

**Stewart and Conductor: Currently in 6****th**** place.**

"Drive yourself to Toad Town airport and fly to Vanilla Lake-"

"-make your way to the lake itself—let's go, baby!" Larson smirked. As he was pulling out of the lot, he sped out in front of the two teams ahead of him.

**Larson and Peeka: Currently in 3****rd**** place.**

"Way to go, hon!" Peeka cheered. Larson grinned.

"Mr. E! Step on it, please! You're letting slime pass us!" Moustafa complained, his eyes glued to the car in front of theirs. Mr. E revved the engine to a higher RPM, and sped forward.

Stewart and Conductor had pulled over to let these teams pass them. They didn't want a wreck—and there most likely was an equalizer in the leg somewhere, they reasoned.

Kolorado shrugged. "My boy, let them kill themselves at the start, eh? We'll run our race in due time," he encouraged, as Kooper drove behind the pack. A panning of the city revealed the time to be 4:45 P.M, on a large electronic clock.

At this point, the rest of the teams were ripping clues and getting into their cars.

**Rip and Chet: Currently in 7****th**** place.**

**Bow and Bootler: Currently in 8****th**** place.**

**Cortez and Flavio: Currently in 9****th**** place.**

**Screamy and Hayzee: Currently in 10****th**** place.**

**Tayce and Russ: Currently in last place.**

"Hehe, let's go Chet!"

"Um… okay," Chet replied, getting into the car.

"Aye, amigo! If you were in shape we wouldn't be at the bottom of the pack!" Cortez exclaimed in frustration. Flavio, panting hard, could only glare at him as they climbed into their car.

"…Drive yourself to Toad Town airport, and fly to Vanilla Lake. Go, Hayzee," Screamy ordered in a monotone. Hayzee gave him an irritated look, as their car pulled out of the lot.

"Oh, Russ, I'm so sorry!" Tayce said in disappointment as they pulled out of the lot last.

"It's fine, sweetheart," the scholarly Toad said. "We've got the whole leg ahead to show what we can do." Russ proceeded then to speed up a little, and passed Bow and Bootler. Bootler, who was driving, insisted on remaining five miles per hour below the speed limit.

"Bootsie, go faster! We're falling behind!" Bow wailed, watching the other teams outpace them.

"I will go a safe speed, my Lady," the old Boo replied, watching as the cars disappeared in front of them.

**Bow and Bootler: Currently in last place.**

**K.P and Shellshock: Currently in 1****st**** place**.

At the front of the pack, Shellshock was driving at a ridiculous pace, weaving through traffic to maintain their lead.

"Dawg, there's the exit to the airport!" K.P exclaimed from the back seat.

"A'ight, let's get some tickets!" Shellshock replied. They ran in to the help desk.

"Excuse me miss, we need two tickets to Vanilla Lake, fast as you can!" K.P asked politely. The Toad behind the desk smiled at them. "I've seen you guys on T.V before. You're awesome!" The partners blushed.

_"Sometimes, it's cool, being a professional athlete. It's a lotta work, but we get recognition," Shellshock grinned. _

"Anyways," she continued. "I have a flight through Mushroom Air that leaves in about fifteen minutes. It arrives in Vanilla Lake at 2:35 A.M, with no connections. Should I print you tickets?"

Shellshock and K.P looked at each other and grinned. No other team would have a prayer of making that flight. "Print them out for us! Thank you so much!" Shellshock said. The ticket lady pressed a few buttons, and handed them their tickets.

**_K.P and Shellshock: First on Mushroom Air 1221_**

As the lady printed their tickets, Lee and Chan pulled into the parking lot.

**Lee and Chan: Currently in 2****nd**** place**.

Spying the ticket lady, they raced over to her desk. Lee pushed through crowds of people, shoving one or two to the ground.

_"It's a race. I don't have time to always be nice," Lee explained, shrugging his shoulders. "Sorry."_

"Can we get two tickets to Vanilla Lake? Super quick; we're in a race," Chan informed the lady importantly. She laughed, and replied "Two other guys just asked for tickets there, and fast! Should I print up what they got for you? You only have 10 minutes to make the flight," she cautioned. Chan and Lee looked at each other, and both said "Yes!" at the exact same time. "Gotta take some chances, right?" Chan laughed. Lee just rolled his eyes, and started running towards their boarding area, Chan right behind him. Easily making the flight on time, they high-fived each other. The Pit fighters acknowledged their presence with a wave.

**_Lee and Chan: Second on Mushroom Air 1221_**

About ten minutes later, two teams pulled into the parking lot at the exact same time. One was unable to find a parking spot, while the other quickly found one, and began running towards the airport. The other team finally found a spot, but was safely behind the first team by that time.

**Kooper and Kolorado: Currently in 3****rd**** place**.

**Larson and Peeka: Currently in 4****th**** place**.

"Dang, man! So close," Larson frowned. Peeka squeezed his arm as they waited in line behind the two Koopas.

"See what I told, old boy? We got there ahead of them anyways, eh?" Kolorado cheered. Kooper grinned back, and exchanged a high five. As they waited in line, the fifth team arrived.

Moustafa and Mr. E: Currently in 5th place.

"Mr. E, what was that? We got to the bags ahead of these teams!" Moustafa ranted. Mr. E cringed—as did the people around them.

"Sorry, sir… it won't happen again," he meekly replied. Moustafa made a soundless snarl.

"It better not," he whispered angrily. Mr. E gulped.

"Thanks so much miss!" Kooper exclaimed. "So our flight gets in at 3:25? That's pretty good! We'll racing in the dark… so cool!" he said to Kolorado, who nodded back. The two walked over to their boarding area, as the plane left in a half hour—or to be precise, 6:00.

**_Kooper and Kolorado: First on Flower Air 54_**

The other two teams in line also received the same tickets. This calmed Moustafa down somewhat. "Let's race hard when we land, eh?" he jovially remarked to Mr. E; who eagerly nodded.

**_Larson and Peeka: Second on Flower Air 54_**

**_Moustafa and Mr. E: Third on Flower Air 54._**

Other teams had arrived, and each got the same tickets as the first three, seeing as the time gap between these teams was minimal at best. Bow and Bootler barely made the flight, which made Bow frown at Bootler, who merely ignored her. The teams all wondered where the fighters and the martial-artists were.

"Maybe they got lost?" Rip questioned. "I don't mind if they did, heh."

"Perhaps… I find it far more likely that they are on a faster flight than we are. We will have to race harder," Bootler stated.

_"I don't care much for that Rip fellow… He seems like an unscrupulous cad. I'm not the only one who feels this way either," Bootler stated, giving a small 'huff'. Bow nodded her head in agreement._

Phil's voice then interjected over an animation of a map, "All teams are now making their way to Vanilla Lake." The map had lines, one red and one blue, showing the two flights as they flew across the Kingdom. One line got there before the other. The footage then changed to a completely different view. It showed icy roads and glaciers, and gray rocks and caves everywhere. The wildlife that inhabited the area was sparse at best, and any civilians shown were bundled heavily. The scene zoomed across a large frozen lake, and through a small town, back to the airport.

**Mushroom Air 1221: 2:39 A.M**

Lee and Chan and K.P and Shellshock quickly exited the plane, and ran down into the town area, Chan slipping on some ice.

"Woah, dude! Watch your footing!" Lee rolled his eyes, and waved for a taxi. A taxi pulled over; the taxis in Vanilla Lake were carts pulled by Reznors. The moonlight was extraordinarily bright in Vanilla Lake—the teams had no trouble seeing or being seen.

"Hey, you can take us to the lake, right?" Lee asked. The driver, a heavily bundled Koopa, nodded. "Let's go, Chan," Lee ordered, and the two took off.

"Brr… Dude…." Shellshock shivered. K.P reached into their bags, and pulled out heavier jackets and beanies, in their respective colors. Slipping these on, the two warmed up. Both had their trademark sunglasses on still, even at night. A reznor-taxi pulled over for K.P, who had been flagging for one.

"Vanilla Lake, the actual lake, dawg. You know?" K.P asked. The driver nodded. "Good. Let's go, 'Shock," K.P said, his teeth only chattering slightly now. The driver shook his head. "Tourists…" he muttered.

Before the second plane had even come close to landing, one team had arrived at the lake. The lake was enormous: it was completely frozen over, except for a few patches that, defying physics, never froze over. Surrounding the lake were gray hills—on the near side, there was a small tent, with the yellow and red striped logo indicating it was part of the race. On the other side stood an impressive cave—the Vanilla Dome. The stars twinkled in the sky, as the team arrived in their cab.

"I see the box, I see the clue box! Thanks man, wait here until I found out what we're up to, alright?" Lee said, hopping out of the cab, Chan following. The martial-artists ran up to the box, and took a clue.

**Lee and Chan: Currently in 1****st**** place.**

"Route Info: Put on ice skates, and skate across the lake. Once on the other side, a Chargin' Chuck will hand you your next clue," Lee read. Chan pointed over to the tent, and the two raced over, and began putting on skates.

"I never thought I'd ever ice-skate…let alone across a giant frozen lake," Chan said in disbelief. Lee just shook his head and continued lacing his skates on, as K.P and Shellshock rolled up in their cab.

**K.P and Shellshock: Currently in 2****nd**** place.**

"Ice skate 'cross this lake? Yeah, buddy!" Shellshock exclaimed, as K.P and he ran over to the tent, where Lee and Chan were finishing putting their skates on.

"Good luck guys. Don't fall through," K.P teased. Chan shot him a friendly glare as they began to make their journey across the vast ice patch.

"Let's go, K.P. We need to catch them," Shellshock ordered, startling his partner.

"'Shock's usually one laid-back dude, so if he's turnin' it on… game's over, guys," K.P drawled to the camera operator. Shellshock grinned, and gave a thumbs-up sign to the camera. The two then started their skating trip across the lake.

**Flower Air 54: 3:39 A.M**

The nine teams on this flight all jostled and bumped each other, running through the airport and outside to where there were three cabs waiting. The most agile teams quickly jumped into these cabs.

"Do you know-" Kooper began.

"Vanilla Lake, the actual lake?" Moustafa questioned.

"You do? Great, hon," Peeka said with excitement. The three teams began to ride off towards their destination.

"Dang it," Tayce frowned, as she looked around. There were still six teams left at the airport, however.

"Argh! Chet, what're you doing? Hurry up, man!" Rip yelled, as Chet stumbled out of the doors of the airport. "I swear, you're so freaking fat, man…"

"Hey, lay off him, amigo. You're a team—work together," Cortez snorted, looking at the frauds in disgust. Flavio nodded.

"Yes, Flavio agrees. We should all be friends, not foes!" Some of the other teams, noticing his speech quirk, looked at him, and then at his partner. Cortez just shrugged his shoulders. Another taxi pulled up, and a team jumped in it before the others could.

"Do you know where the large lake, entitled Vanilla Lake, is located," Russ queried. The driver nodded. "Then please, transport us there." Tayce shivered as she got into the cab, followed by her knowledgeable boyfriend.

Seeing this, two teams began to run down the icy streets, looking to hail a cab before it ever got to the airport. Rip and Chet ran left, while Hayzee and Screamy ran right.

"…Do you know where Vanilla Lake is?" The driver looked at the person who had questioned him.

"Everybody does, man. Let's go," he said. Hayzee commented, "Wow, these cabs are so cool! And brr! It's quite cold outside, I can see my breath!" Screamy, the person who had flagged the cab, just stared straight ahead as the cab began driving forward.

_"Perhaps I don't seem like I care about this race… but I truly do. I just choose not to reveal any emotional weakness," Screamy explained. Hayzee rolled his eyes._

A cab rolled up to the airport, and Cortez and Flavio were all over it. The driver threw up his hands at their hurried demands to get to 'the big lake', and the 'actual lake'.

"Okay, okay! I know where it is!" he protested. They nodded, and climbed in. Meanwhile, Rip and Chet also had garnered a cab, and were making their way to the lake—leaving only Bow and Bootler, and Stewart and Conductor. The teams uneasily looked at one another.

_"It's weird… fighting for the right to stay in the race. Granted, it was early, but still," Conductor frowned._

Two cabs then rolled up at the exact same time. Relieved, both teams hopped into them. "The lake, and fast!"

Two cabs, incidentally, also rolled up to the lake at the same time.

"I see the box, hon!"

"Prof, there it is!"

Rip! Rip!

**Peeka and Larson: Currently in 3****rd**** place.**

**Kooper and Kolorado: Currently in 4****th**** place.**

"Ice skate across a lake… Oh yeah, bro!" Larson exclaimed, as his partner and he ran over to the tent.

"Tally-ho! This could almost be as exciting as riding on the great tuna!" Kolorado yelled.

"It wasn't a tuna, it was a whale. And let's go!" his partner reminded. "Right. Lead the way, old boy!"

A third cab came up as well, and out came two turbaned figures.

**Moustafa and Mr. E: Currently in 5****th**** place.**

"Ice skating, that's out of our comfort zones, eh, E? Let's enjoy ourselves!" Moustafa exclaimed grandly. Mr. E nodded, as they laced up their skates.

_"Moustafa is a great leader. Sometimes, he does get a bit passionate though," Mr. E explained._

Meanwhile, on the other side of the lake, the two leading teams were skating side by side. Lee looked over, and grinned at Shellshock. He grinned back—and then watched in disbelief as Chan and Lee put themselves into another gear, finishing a whole fifty yards ahead of the pit fighters. Untying their skates, they swiftly returned them to waiting production crews.

**Lee and Chan: Currently in 1****st**** place.**

"Hey, Lee, there's the 'Chuck!" Chan yelled. They ran over to the helmeted Koopa, who handed them their next clue.

"Detour! Go Spelunking, or Go Swimming!" Chan said, reading the clue.

Phil T. appeared onscreen, in prerecorded footage. He was standing on the edge of the frozen lake, with the camera situated on the lake, pointing at him and the cave behind him. "A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with their individual pros and cons. In this detour, teams have to choose between Go Spelunking, or Go Swimming—two local traditions that teenagers and young adults enjoy performing," he explained. The view suddenly changed to that of two Koopas walking into the enormous cave shown previously. One of the Koopas carried a basket; the other carried a flashlight. Phil followed them to the cave mouth, and then stopped and turned around.

"In Go Spelunking, teams have to explore the area's residential huge cave, the Vanilla Dome. One team member will carry a basket, while the other team member must search for three 1-Up Mushrooms that are located in the cave. Once they have found these Mushrooms, they can exit the cave to receive their next clue. If you don't get claustrophobic, or scared of the dark, this task will be a breeze to you."

The camera then changed again, this time showing an opening in the ice on the lake. It moved forward across the ice, until it came across another hole in the frozen lake.

"In Go Swimming, both team members must put on wetsuits, and swim through a 100 foot tunnel of freezing water, in under a minute each. Once they have both swum through in time, they will receive their next clue. If you can swim and deal with frigid temperatures, this won't be a problem," Phil explained, overlooking one of the holes in the ice, as Koopa in a wetsuit jumped into it.

"Um… Let's do the cave one, Lee. I can't swim very fast anyways… I'm already freezing cold too," Chan said, shivering at the thought. Lee shrugged.

"Alright, I'm good with that," he agreed. The two raced over to grab their baskets and flashlight; Chan putting the basket on his shell, and Lee carrying the flashlight. As they walked into the cave, Shellshock skated onto the land, followed closely by K.P.

**K.P and Shellshock: Currently in 2****nd**** place.**

"Detour, dawg! Go Spelunking, or Go Swimming. Hey, let's do the swimming thing. We've trained like that before," K.P reasoned. Shellshock nodded, and the two ran over to the production tent to change into their wetsuits.

"As fighters… We've done some crazy stuff. This one time, we were training inside a water tunnel just like this challenge. So this is familiar turf to us, baby," Shellshock said to the camera.

As the fighters changed, more teams arrived at the previous clue.

**Russ and Tayce: Currently in 6****th**** place.**

"Ice skating… Ooh, I'm excited!" Tayce said joyfully. Russ looked a bit perturbed at first, but then smiled with her. "Let's skate, darling."

**Cortez and Flavio: Currently in 7****th**** place.**

The business partners were the next team to arrive. Cortez looked at Flavio, and muttered "Oh boy… This will not go well."

"Flavio loves ice skating!"

**Rip and Chet: Currently in 8****th**** place.**

"Hehe… Ice skating, huh? I don't know to cheat at this, but it sounds fun!" Rip said, with a grin. Chet was already lacing his skates on, and shook his head at his partner.

**Lee and Chan: 0/3 Mushrooms Collected.**

"Man, it's dark in here," Chan muttered, stumbling on a rock. Lee snorted.

"I have a flashlight, dummy! It's not that dark!" The two turned around a corner, and walked through a collection of rocks that appeared to be a door. Lee crowed, "There's one!" and walked forward to grab the 1-UP and place it on Chan's back in the basket.

**Lee and Chan: 1/3 Mushrooms collected.**

Meanwhile, K.P was strapping his goggles on. He gave the camera a grin, and then plunged into the icy stream of water. Shellshock held his breath, waiting for him. Presently, the yellow-shelled Koopa sprang out of the other side with a splash. Shellshock turned to the production member timing his swim.

"Fifty-three seconds! Well done!" the timing Toad said. Shellshock and K.P high-fived, as K.P had walked back over to hear how he had done. K.P ran to change out of his freezing-cold wetsuit, as the crews prepared Shellshock for his swim.

(****)

Back across the lake, the final three teams arrived in quick, sequential order. They all grabbed their clues and began lacing up their skates quickly, spying some of the teams ahead of them skating swiftly across the ice. Except Flavio. He had already fallen three times. A frustrated Cortez stared back at him.

"Come on, amigo!" he yelled. Flavio yelled back, "Flavio is trying to hurry, but it's hard!" Cortez sighed in frustration.

(****)

**Screamy and Hayzee: Currently in 9****th**** place**.

"Hurry. We can catch other teams," Screamy said. Hayzee nodded, and then yelled, "Whoo-hoo! I'm ice-skating across a frozen lake, baby! Greatest day ever!"

**Stewart and Conductor: Currently in 10****th**** place.**

"Man, how does a Cheep-Cheep even skate?" Conductor questioned, looking at his partner, who was somehow strapped into his skates. Stewart laughed in response.

_"We have our secrets," the fish grinned._

**Bow and Bootler: Currently in last place.**

"Hurry, Lady Bow. Time is of the essence," Bootler warned. Bow looked at him in disbelief.

"Oh, now you want to hurry, huh? You're such an old fool," Bow snapped, as the Boos somehow put on their skates, and began to slide across the frozen lake. Bootler looked a bit miffed, but did not reply.

(****)

Up ahead, two teams had reached the clue box, one slightly ahead of the other.

**Kolorado and Kooper: Currently in 3****rd**** place.**

"Detour! Um, obviously we're doing spelunking! It's like archeology!" Kooper said excitedly, as the professor and he went to grab their necessary cave-hunting objects.

**Larson and Peeka: Currently in 4****th**** place.**

"Detour! Go Spelunking or Go Swimming!" Peeka read. "Let's spelunk, hon. I can't swim like that." Larson nodded, and they proceeded to walk into the cave with their necessary appellations.

(****)

**Kooper and Kolorado: 0/3 Mushrooms collected.**

"Hey, prof! Let's go in here!" Kooper yelled. He was carrying the flashlight, and Kolorado was carrying the basket. On the ground in room Kooper had suggested to go in was a Mushroom.

"Perfect, old boy! Grab that 'shroom!" Kooper picked it up, but then realized something.

"This isn't a 1-Up, prof… We need 1-Ups."

"Blast it all!" the professor/archeologist yelled in frustration.

(****)

Meanwhile, Lee and Chan had found another 1-Up Shroom.

**Lee and Chan: 2/3 Mushrooms collected.**

"One more, Lee! Then we can get out of this cave, it gives me the heebie-jeebies," Chan said, nervously looking around.

"What, you scared or something? Hey, what's that? Is that-"

**Lee and Chan: 3/3 Mushrooms collected.**

"YEAH! Let's go Lee!" Chan yelled in excitement. The two began to backtrack out of the cave as fast as they could. A nearby Kooper heard them, and groaned.

"They're done. Let's hurry on, 'k?" he said with some annoyance. Turning a corner, he saw a 1-Up on a pedestal. "Thank the Star Spirits," he muttered.

**Kooper and Kolorado: 1/3 Mushrooms collected.**

(****)

On the lake shore, Moustafa and Mr. E had just ran up to the clue box.

**Moustafa and Mr. E: Currently in 5****th**** place.**

"We're Spelunking. Let's go, 'E," Moustafa ordered. The two raced towards the cave entrance, before realizing that they needed equipment first. Embarrassed, they walked over to production, whose members chuckled. They grabbed the flashlight and basket, and ran off into the cave. "OW! Turn the light on, fool!" You have it, sir!" "Oh, right. Carry on!"

(****)

The scene cut to the lake, where Flavio had finally mastered skating. His partner and him skated as fast as they could, attempting to catch up to the teams ahead of them—which now included Hayzee and Screamy, who had passed them. "Dang," Cortez muttered, skating as fast as he could. Rip and Chet had long outpaced them, and also had outpaced the dating Toads, and arrived at the clue box.

**Rip and Chet: Currently in 6****th**** place.**

"Um, let's do the swimming one. We're both good at swimming in tunnels," Chet offered. Rip nodded, and the two ran over to the tent to change.

_"We've both swam inside the Toad Town sewers to escape the town. We knew how to do this," Chet said confidently._

(****)

Meanwhile, Shellshock had already attempted the swim once, and missed by two seconds. His second attempt was 3 seconds faster, and K.P yelled in exuberance as the timer said '59:789'. The two bumped fists, before opening their clue.

**K.P and Shellshock: Currently in 1****st**** place.**

"Travel on foot up the Vanilla Dome Hiking Trail. Once at the top, search for your next clue," Shellshock read, still a little breathless from the swim. "I see the trailhead, let's go!"

The martial artists then burst out of the cave, having gotten lost multiple times on their way back. Frustrated, they opened their clue, knowing where to go, as they could see the pit fighters, a long way up the trail already.

**Lee and Chan: Currently in 2****nd**** place.**

"Travel on foot-follow them," Lee said, shaking his head in frustration. Chan followed behind him, also a bit miffed.

"I can't believe we didn't think to trace our steps," Chan complained. Lee looked back at him, and said "Suck it up. We screwed up, but we can still outpace that team. Let's go!"

(****)

**Larson and Peeka: 1/3 Mushrooms collected.**

**Moustafa and Mr. E: 1/3 Mushrooms collected**.

The dating Roguportians and the secret society members were having a rough time in the cave. Both teams had found a single item, but neither had been able to find a second.

"We've been in here for so long, man. This is ridiculous," Larson sighed. He was carrying the flashlight, when he caught his eye on something green.

**Larson and Peeka: 2/3 Mushrooms collected.**

"Nice job, darling. We're so close!" Peeka squealed. Looking over, Mr. E frowned, as Moustafa briefly shined his flashlight beam on the couple. He shook his head, and went back to looking.

(****)

Rip, dressed in his wetsuit, was waiting for the word.

"Get ready, and GO!" The scruffy-bearded fraud jumped into the tunnel, and began swimming as fast as he could. Chet held his breath watching. When Rip popped up, the timer read '49:567'.

"That was very fast!" the timing Toad said appreciatively. Rip just bowed in mock gratitude, as Chet was prepped for his swim.

"Easy as stealing candy from a baby—and I have never failed at that!"

(****)

Hayzee and Screamy had finally landed, and grabbed their clue.

**Hayzee and Screamy: Currently in 7****th**** place.**

"Let's do Go Spelunking. It will be easier," Screamy suggested. Hayzee looked a bit torn.

"Aww… But I wanted to go swimming! Oh well, let's get this done!" The two ran to grab their tools. As they were doing this, another team landed. They had managed to pass another few teams while skating.

**Stewart and Conductor: Currently in 8****th**** place.**

"Ooh, we're gonna Go Swimming! Clearly this is a, uh, challenge meant for our team!" Stewart said excitedly as they ran over to the tent to change. "Hey, just because you're a fish doesn't mean I can swim!" Conductor protested jokingly. The two laughed.

(****)

Cortez and Flavio arrived as the other teams had just vanished from out of sight.

**Cortez and Flavio: Currently in 9****th**** place.**

"Aye, amigo! We get to treasure hunt!"

"Treasure hunt! Flavio loves treasure-hunting! Let's go, you sack of filthy bones!" Flavio said, running in a circle. Cortez narrowed his eyes.

"Watch your mouth, mortal," he said threateningly. Flavio gulped.

"Flavio understands," he said meekly. The two ran into the cave.

(****)

**Kooper and Kolorado: 2/3 Mushrooms collected.**

The archeologist and his protégé had discovered another Mushroom, and were now hunting for the last one, when Kooper dropped his flashlight. With a _crack,_ the flashlight broke. They gasped. "Oh, no!" Kooper yelled. A production member came to give them a new flashlight, but while they were waiting-

**-Larson and Peeka: 3/3 Mushrooms collected.**

"Alright, sugar! Let's go, hon!" Exchanging a quick hug, the Bandit and his girlfriend began retracing their steps. A good thief never forgets an exit, and the two ran out of the entrance in no time flat, and proceeded to exchange their Mushrooms for a clue.

**Larson and Peeka: Currently in 3****rd**** place.**

"Travel on foot up the Vanilla Dome Hiking—I saw that trail going into the cave!" Larson exclaimed. The two swiftly located the trailhead and began racing up it.

(****)

Meanwhile, Chet was attempting his swim, as Stewart and Conductor were led to an identical patch of ice, with two openings. Chet dived in upon hearing "GO!', but the frigidity of the water knocked the breath out of him. By the time he finished, sixty-eight seconds had passed. "Dang it," he muttered. Rip shook his head, and yelled, "Come on, you stupid birdbrain!"

On the other patch of ice, Conductor was preparing to swim. "Let me get it over with," he said to his partner. He tensed himself waiting; but when he heard "GO!" from the time-keeping Toad, he dived in, and swam like he had never swam before. When his head popped out the other side, only fifty-one seconds had passed.

"Way to go, Conductor!" Stewart cheered. The Toad grinned, his teeth chattering.

_"Wow, Phil, you were right. First day of the race, and I would have never imagined myself doing THAT!" Conductor said expressively. _

(****)

**Flavio and Cortez: 3/3 Mushrooms collected.**

"Never underestimate Flavio when he's looking for treasure!" Flavio crowed, as the two sped out of the cave, Cortez cackling as he ran. The producers following them shook their heads and laughed. A tailor-made challenge for them indeed—they had found their mushrooms almost immediately.

(****)

**Moustafa and Mr. E: 2/3 Mushrooms collected.**

"I think I see one, Mr. E!" Moustafa said excitedly. Running forward, the Squeek gracefully leapt over a rock, and grabbed the 1-Up.

**Moustafa and Mr. E: 3/3 Mushrooms**

"Hey, we're done! Let's go dump some 'Shrooms!" Mr E. said. Moustafa didn't laugh, and just looked at him, shining the flashlight's beam into his eyes.

"Ow, can you stop?"

"I can! But I won't," Moustafa snickered, as the two began backtracking through the cave.

Flavio and Cortez exited the cave, and opened their clue.

**Cortez and Flavio: Currently in 4****th**** place.**

"Aye, it looks like we have a hike. Get that fat body of yours ready to climb, mate!" Cortez joked. Flavio looked hurt.

(****)

As you age, it gets harder to skate. So it was no surprise to anyone when the Boos passed Tayce and Russ, who were sitting in the middle of the lake, exhausted.

"We have to keep going, Russ! We're in last right now!" Tayce moaned. Russ sighed.

"I know… But I can't give anything else right now. I need a break," he said quietly. The two looked at the disappearing Boos with frustration.

**Bow and Bootler: Currently in 10****th**** place.**

"Finally! A clue box! Let's go cave-exploring, Bootsie!" Bow exclaimed eagerly, their previous disagreement forgotten. Bootler sighed, and nodded.

(****)

Shellshock and K.P had managed to stay well ahead of the dojo attendees on the hike. The two looked down off the side of the dome, and both were completely amazed.

_ "Dawg, if you've never seen a frozen lake at 6:00 in the morning, you're missing out," K.P expressed in awe. Shellshock nodded. "It's freaking insane, man. Wow," he added._

"That's so cool, dude. And hey, look! Clue box, baby!" Shellshock said eagerly, as the fighters ran forward.

**K.P and Shellshock: Currently in 1****st**** place.**

"Roadblock. Who wants to glide through the race?"

The camera cut to Phil T., as he stood on the top of the Vanilla Dome, in prerecorded footage. "A Roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform. In this Roadblock, that member will be strapped to a para-glider—and must paraglide all the way across the lake, to the other side. Once they have glided across, they will receive their next clue." The camera zoomed out to show exactly how high and how far that was.

"I wanna glide, baby. Oh, dude! It's paragliding!" Shellshock said excitingly. K.P looked envious.

"Not fair, man! Hey, knock it down though, dawg, I'll see you over there," K.P said, as grabbed their bags and climbed into the car that was assigned to drive the other team member to the landing spot. Shellshock started to climb into his harness as Lee and Chan arrived.

**Lee and Chan: Currently in 2****nd**** place.**

"Dude… So pretty," Lee said in appreciation. "Anyways, Roadblock. I'll do it. Looks like I'm paragliding," he mused. "Fun!" Chan didn't look envious at all.

"Paragliding over a frozen lake? Not my idea of fun," he explained to the camera as he climbed into the waiting car.

(****)

**Kooper and Kolorado: 3/3 Mushrooms collected.**

"Finally! Let's get out of this blasted cave," Kolorado encouraged, as they turned around. "Remember: left, right, up, left, and down."

_"We had memorized the ways we went in the cave, so that we could trace our steps fast," Kooper explained. "It was my idea, of course."_

Meanwhile, the desert-dwellers had exited the cave.

**Moustafa and Mr. E: Currently in 5****th**** place.**

"Trailhead, let's look for it—oh, it's right there!" Mr. E exclaimed, pointing at the trail. Moustafa rolled his eyes. "Thanks for that, Captain Obvious. Let's get moving, hmm?"

Mr. E nodded. "Let's move!"

(****)

**Russ and Tayce: Currently in last place.**

"Way to go, honey. We're here. Let's do spelunking," Tayce encouraged. An out-of-breath Russ wheezed, and nodded.

_"We fell way behind on that ice-skating challenge. That was quite atrocious," Russ muttered, Tayce squeezing his shoulder._

As they entered the cave, Kooper and Kolorado exited it. They were speechless as they saw the couple walk in.

"How'd they get so far behind?" Kooper gaped. Kolorado shrugged. "No matter, old boy! Let's get our clue and go, chap."

**Kooper and Kolorado: Currently in 6****th**** place.**

"A hike, eh? Fun time, wot!" Kolorado dashed up the hill, leaving Kooper sprinting after him, shouting "Wait!"

(****)

**Stewart and Conductor: Currently in 7****th**** place.**

"Great job Stewart, you swam like a fish there!" Conductor teased. Stewart shot him an irritated glare as he read their clue, and the two made their way up the hillside.

Meanwhile, Chet was making his 5th attempt already. He had progressively gotten better—but was stuck at sixty-one seconds for his last two efforts. He heard the word "GO!" and jumped in again. When he popped his head out, the clock read "60:000"

"I'm sorry. You missed the mark. Try again," the time-keeper encouraged. Rip looked like he was about to blow his top.

"COME ON, CHET!" he screamed. Chet glared at him, as he went to warm his body up again before his next try.

(****)

**Bow and Bootler: 1/3 Mushrooms collected.**

**Russ and Tayce: 2/3 Mushrooms collected**.

In a turn of events expected by no one, the older dating couple located a room with two Mushrooms in it. And then, surprising everyone-

"-Aha!-"

**Russ and Tayce: 3/3 Mushrooms collected.**

The producers on the outside could only gape, as the dating couple who had seemingly been almost an hour behind the last team came out of the challenge almost immediately.

**Russ and Tayce: Currently in 8****th**** place.**

"Oh, it's a hike… We'll have to work hard, Russy," Tayce said with some apprehension. Russ took a swig out of his water bottle, and said, "It's a good thing I've never been more energized in my life! Let's go, my fair lady!" Tayce giggled, as the two began to jog up the path.

(****)

"Are you ready?" Shellshock nodded. He was about to make his jump. "Okay, when I tell you to, we're gonna run forward, and when I say 'jump!' you jump, got it? Then we just enjoy the view," the instructor said. Shellshock gave him a high-five, and the two prepared themselves. "Run forward!" They began running forward. At the last second, "JUMP!" The two jumped off the cliff, and went soaring into the early-morning skies.

"Woah… So cool! Yeah!" Shellshock screamed, to no one in particular.

_"I've never done anything so cool. I mean, wow, dude. You missed out, K.P," Shellshock teased. K.P punched his arm._

Behind them, on the cliff top, Lee stood waiting, having just heard the same instructions. When it was deemed there was enough space in between the two, Lee was allowed to jump. "WHOOP-EE!" he shouted. "Yeah!"

(****)

**Screamy and Hayzee: 2/3 Mushrooms collected.**

Screamy and Hayzee had managed to lose their camera crew inside the cave, with Screamy's ridiculously fast pace. By the time the camera found them, they had collected two of their required objects.

"This cave has interesting rock formations," Screamy commented, flashing the light around the area. Hayzee grunted. "Yeah, I agree. But it's so stuffy and dark, it's kinda scary," he complained. Screamy looked at him with disgust, before turning a corner, where he saw the last Mushroom they needed sitting on a pedestal made from rock formations.

"There we go," he said with satisfaction.

**Screamy and Hayzee: 3/3 Mushrooms collected.**

Easily backtracking were the actor and the manager, because they had in fact already came back to near the beginning, and could see the entrance ahead.

**Screamy and Hayzee: Currently in 9****th**** place.**

"That was fun. Let's go hiking now!" Hayzee said, jumping in excitement. Screamy began to jog up the trail, leaving Hayzee behind. "Oh, yeah, I should get going. Coming!"

(****)

**Bow and Bootler: 2/3 Mushrooms collected.**

"Oh, I hate this cave! It's so dirty and dark! Yuck!" Bow whined, as Bootler calmly carried their basket. "Lady, is that one of our items up ahead?"

"Oh, yeah it is!" Bow went and grabbed the Mushroom, and brought it back, looking all around the portion of the cave they were in.

**Bow and Bootler: 3/3 Mushrooms collected.**

"Now how do we get out of here…?"

(****)

"I can't do it, Rip! I'm sorry! We're going to have to switch!" Chet burst out, having failed yet again.

"This is unbelievable. For Star's sake, try harder," Rip gnashed his teeth in anger. "We're not switching. That takes forever I bet. We could still be in like third or something for all we know."

"Okay… I'll try again," Chet nervously prepared for his next attempt.

_"It was hard! I'm big and slow! I'm not made for quick swimming anyways, I'm a bird!" Chet complained. Rip just looked at him with disgust._

(****)

"Aww… It's over already? Ah, well, that was sick, baby" Shellshock yelled. K.P ran over to him as he was un-harnessed, and the two high-fived.

**K.P and Shellshock: Currently in 1****st**** place.**

"Make your way on foot to the Pit Stop, Lemmy's Castle," K.P read.

The scene switched to an impressive view of an old, stone castle. The moon shone brightly behind the castle, illuminating it against the rocky hills all around it. The camera then switched to one of the castle's ramparts, where Phil was standing on a mat. It zoomed in as he began to speak.

"This is Lemmy's castle. Well, one of the many he has. This is the castle on the outside of the Vanilla Dome that is usually coated in snow and ice. And it is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here," he paused dramatically, "will be eliminated."

Shellshock pointed across the road. "That's it, right there!" Sure enough, the castle stood less than a hundred yards away. "I saw it from the air, it looked so cool. Let's go!" The two fighters ran off, across the road and towards the castle, as Lee landed in his paraglider.

**Lee and Chan: Currently in 2****nd**** place.**

"-Warning, last team to check in will be eliminated. Come on, we can catch the fighters!" Lee encouraged, as Chan and he began running towards the castle.

(****)

**Larson and Peeka: Currently in 3****rd**** place.**

"Roadblock, hon. I'll do it! I'm paragliding?!" Peeka exclaimed. Larson looked worried, until she grinned and said "Yes! See you there, sugar!" He smiled back, and hopped in the waiting car as another team arrived.

**Moustafa and Mr. E: Currently in 4****th**** place.**

"Roadblock; it's gliding, and I'm doing it," Moustafa ordered, running over to get himself strapped in.

"…Ok?"

(****)

**Bow and Bootler: Currently in 10****th**** place.**

"We have to hike? Yeesh! Bootler, I'm tired already!" Bow complained. Her guardian shook his head.

"Come on, lady. We must hurry. I believe we are in last place at this moment," he cautioned. Her face fell.

"Let's go then!" she mustered, and began going as fast as she could up the hiking trail, Bootler right behind her.

(****)

Phil was standing on the mat, next to a short Koopa, who was perched on a ball, and sported a rainbow mowhawk. The Koopa's eyes were facing odd directions, and he had a high-pitched voice as he said, "I see a team!"

The team ran up the stairs, and jumped onto the mat, and looked at Phil expectantly.

"Hi, and welcome to Vanilla Lake!" Lemmy Koopa chirped. "Thanks, man."

"…K.P and Shellshock." Phil paused for a second, and looked at them.

"You are team number… One!" The two's eyes widened, and they exchanged a hug.

"Yeah, baby! Straight to the top, and we ain't stoppin'!" K.P exclaimed, a huge grin plastered across his face. Phil continued.

"As the winners of this leg of the race, you have each won a snowmobile! You can customize your vehicle to your personal choosing, after the race!" They both cheered again, and fist-bumped.

"Coming in first, on the first leg, it's crazy man!" Shellshock said excitedly. "Now that we know what it tastes like, we want more," K.P added. The two then said in unison, "Glitz Pit!"

(****)

**Larson and Peeka: Currently in 3****rd**** place.**

"Make your way on foot to the Pit Stop—the castle!" Peeka yelled. "Let's go, babe," Larson encouraged, and the two started running towards the castle.

(****)

Another team leapt up onto the mat, knowing they had lost the little competition they were in.

"Lee and Chan. You are team number two," Phil informed the team. They exchanged rueful grins.

"Not much we can do about it, except work harder next time," Chan shrugged.

"I agree with you, buddy. So close though," Lee mused.

(****)

**Cortez and Flavio: Currently in 5****th**** place.**

The pirate and treasure-lover had been passed on the way up by Moustafa and Mr. E. Flavio had tired out quickly, but still had the energy to sing.

"I am Flavio, I am he, Flavio the great, Flavio the amazing!"

"That doesn't even rhyme! And it's horrible anyways, mate!" Cortez moaned, plugging his ears. "Roadblock. Who wants to glide—I'll do it," Cortez quickly decided.

"Okay, Flavio will see you later!" Flavio waved, and Cortez rolled his eyes.

(****)

**Moustafa and Mr. E: Currently in 4****th**** place.**

The Squeek was not all that impressed by his gliding experience; and as such, merely focused on the clue. Grabbing it, he read "Make your way to the pit stop-oh, it's that ugly old castle! Let's go, E-man!"

"Umm… shouldn't you take off your harness and stuff first?" Mr. E timidly mentioned. Moustafa looked down.

"Oh, uh, yes. Good thinking," he said with a chuckle. Mr. E just sighed in relief.

(****)

"Larson and Peeka? You are team number three."

"Oh, hon, that's not too bad, right?" Peeka anxiously inquired. Larson grinned. "It's perfect, sweetheart." Phil just smirked, and the camera zoomed out of the castle, and panned over the lake.

(****)

"GO!"

Chet swam like he never had before. He swam so fast, he thought his arms and legs would fall off. When he popped his head out of the water on the other side, he was gasping desperately for breath. But Rip was cheering. "Fifty-nine seconds! Atta-boy, Chet!"

**Rip and Chet: Currently in last place.**

"Time for a hike—hope you're not too tired, you pansy," Rip shot at Chet. Chet shoved Rip in retaliation as they started their climb.

(****)

A Squeek and a Toad jumped onto the mat. "Moustafa and Mr. E. You are team number four."

"I'll take it, as much as I'd like first. Sometimes your partner just drags 'ya down, you know?" Mr. E frowned. "I'm sorry, sir."

"I meant myself, but I'm glad you see you were not superb either," the society leader replied as they stood on the mat.

(****)

**Kooper and Kolorado: Currently in 6****th**** place.**

**Screamy and Hayzee: Currently in 7****th**** place.**

The professor and his assistant couldn't believe how fast Hayzee and Screamy were moving. They both reached the box at about the same time.

"Roadblock. I got it! Sounds awesome!" Kooper exclaimed.

"Okay, I got it!" Hayzee said happily, looking around at his beautiful surroundings.

"Whoo-hoo!" The two were screaming before they even jumped. Screamy, in the car, shook his head.

"Fools."

(****)

**Cortez and Flavio: Currently in 5****th**** place.**

"Pit Stop, amigo. Let's run!" Cortez ordered. Flavio looked at him pitifully.

"But Flavio is tired!"

"Too bad, hombre! Let's go!"

The scene cuts to them jumping on the mat, with Flavio panting like he had never ran before in his life.

"Cortez and extremely exhausted Flavio. You are team number five," Phil proclaimed. Cortez looked relieved.

"Not bad, aye, not bad at all!" the pirate king gesticulated.

"Flavio's lungs hurt!"

(****)

**Stewart and Conductor: Currently in 8****th**** place.**

"Okay, roadblock! Gliding… um… I'm a fish out of water on this one. You do it, okay?" Stewart asked. Conductor nodded, and mock-saluted as he strapped in to his glider.

Footage showed teams in the air, gliding through the early morning sky. The lake beneath them was beautiful—although to some teams, they didn't even notice,

(****)

**Kooper and Kolorado: Currently in 6****th**** place.**

"Tally-ho, my old bean! Let us open the clue!" Kolorado exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"That was so fun! Hey, it's the Pit Stop, in that castle!"

Behind them, Hayzee landed his glider, and Screamy waited for his partner to disengage himself from the harness. The archeologists had already crossed the road and entered the castle by the time Hayzee was opening their clue.

**Screamy and Hayzee: Currently in 7****th**** place.**

"Pit Stop. We must hurry; no teams shall catch us, understand?" Screamy instructed as they ran across the road.

"That was so darn cool—oh yeah, sure, okay buddy," Hayzee absently replied.

(****)

**Russ and Tayce: Currently in 9****th**** place.**

The elderly couple had made decent time up the trail, and although they did not know it, they actually had a cushion of two teams to work with. Which was good, because Tayce agreed to do the Roadblock, but ended up needing fifteen minutes of pleading from Russ to actually perform the task. As she leapt off the side, screaming expletives left and right, Bow and Bootler arrived.

**Bow and Bootler: Currently in 10****th**** place.**

"It's a roadblock. Oh, please do this, Bootler. I'm scared of heights!" Bow whined. Bootler looked annoyed. "Very well, Lady," he said. "You have to overcome your silly phobias eventually, you know." Bow just looked at him before following Russ in the car down the trail, to the landing spot.

(****)

"Kooper and Kolorado? You are team number six."

"Screamy and Hayzee? You are team number seven."

Both teams seemed to be satisfied with their finishes for the present, and both nodded at Phil to indicate so. "Good job, guys," Kooper said to Hayzee. "Thanks! That was such a fun leg!" Everyone except Screamy nodded. Screamy merely looked out towards the sky, where two members of teams were currently in the air.

(****)

**Stewart and Conductor: Currently in 8****th**** place.**

"-will be eliminated," Stewart said, reading the clue. "We, um, have a small lead, on some teams I think."

His partner stared at him. "Well, let's go! It's a small lead," Conductor began to run towards the castle, followed closely by Stewart.

(****)

**Bow and Bootler:**

"Well, I have never glided before, but it sounds interesting. May I begin running? Yes? Alright." The old Boo leapt off the cliff, and looked down at his surroundings.

_"Perhaps after we get back to normal at home, I can paraglide again. What a marvelous experience," Bootler commented. Bow looked a little jealous._

(****)

**Russ and Tayce: Currently in 9****th**** place. **

"Oh my gosh, I've never been so scared. But I made it, all thanks to you, Russy," Tayce praised. Russ blushed as he read the clue. "Oh, let's hurry, Tayce. I want to race at least one more leg!" She giggled, and the two ran off towards the castle.

(****)

"Stewart and Conductor. You are team number eight," Phil informed the airline and railway employees.

"Well, it's a start. We're still in the race."

"That's the, um, spirit," Stewart said nervously.

"I guess," Conductor drawled.

(****)

**Bow and Bootler: Currently in 10****th**** place.**

"Oh, wow, wasn't that, like so scary? I knew it would be!" Bow rambled, as Bootler read the clue. "It's the Pit Stop, my lady. We must run," he urged.

"Oh, right, sorry," she apologized as they ran across the road. "I forget this is a race! It just seems too darn fun!"

Bootler remained silent, but he had to admit, she was right.

(****)

**Rip and Chet: Currently in last place**.

"Roadblock. I got it, Chet," Rip said, sparing his partner from having to do another task. As Rip strapped into his glider, he looked out over the edge, and was blown away by the area's intense beauty.

_"We were lucky to come here, man," Rip said appreciatively. Chet nodded in agreement. _

(****)

Two teams ran into the castle, within a minute of each other. Phil pointed as Russ and Tayce jogged up the stairs—followed closely by Bow and Bootler.

"Russ and Tayce… You are team number nine. Bow and Bootler, that makes you team number ten." The two teams turned, and hugged each other, and exchanged high-fives and teary glances. Phil looked at them with a smile, and said "It must feel good to still be in the race. Will this change how you run the race from now on?"

Bow summed up the two team's feelings quite well, when she said, "Entirely so."

(****)

A while later, one last team made the trek up the steps. They knew they were last, and both looked disappointed.

"Rip and Chet. You are the last team to arrive," Phil paused before continuing, "and I'm sorry to tell you that you have both been eliminated from the race."

Chet shrugged. "We had a good run, I think. We just didn't use our heads on the detour, and I failed big-time there."

Rip shook his head. "It was my fault too. It doesn't matter, man. That was the most awesome thing I've ever done. Now I get to go back to scamming losers!" The two frauds laughed, as they walked away from the mat.

**To be continued.**


End file.
